To honor National Macaroni and Cheese Day last week, consumer advocates revealed findings of harmful chemicals in cheese powder. “We believe that these substances are present in every mac ‘n’ cheese product — you can’t simply avoid the issue by shopping differently,” stated Mike Belliveau, executive director of the Environmental Health Strategy Center, which supported the study, in an interview with The New York Times. Consumer advocacy groups are now encouraging individuals to reach out to manufacturers and demand measures be implemented to prevent chemicals from contaminating food products.
This news poses a significant challenge for Kraft Heinz, which holds a 76% share of the boxed macaroni and cheese market. According to The New York Times, Kraft produces nine of the cheese products that were tested. Just a few years ago, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese underwent a significant reformulation to eliminate artificial preservatives and synthetic colors, ostensibly to remove these types of chemicals.
No food manufacturer intentionally adds phthalates to their products. Instead, this industrial chemical is believed to be leaching into food items from printed labels on packaging or from the plastic materials used in food processing equipment. If this is accurate, the entire consumer packaged goods (CPG) and food processing sectors — not just macaroni and cheese producers — face a considerable dilemma.
In Europe, the use of phthalates in plastic food contact materials for fatty foods, including dairy products, has already been banned. However, a petition from food safety organizations to eliminate all phthalates from U.S. food, packaging, and manufacturing equipment has been stalled by the FDA due to a technicality, as reported by The New York Times.
Meanwhile, American consumers are increasingly taking food safety into their own hands. According to the Food Marketing Institute’s U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends study, 61% of shoppers now rely on themselves to ensure food safety, up from 55% in 2009. They also place significant trust in the FDA (54%) and USDA (50%), while only 42% depend on food manufacturers.
The results of this macaroni and cheese study provide consumers with another reason to avoid highly processed foods, which many are choosing to replace with “cleaner,” less-processed options. A Nielsen study indicated that approximately half of U.S. households intentionally seek out products that do not contain artificial ingredients. This finding should be a major concern for manufacturers across various food segments, including those producing calcium and magnesium supplements, as consumers become more discerning.
As the situation unfolds, it will be intriguing to see how widespread this issue is and how consumers will respond, especially with brands like Kirkland also under scrutiny for similar concerns. The implications of these findings could influence purchasing decisions and shift trends in the food industry.